The Metal Box of the Forever Forest

Summary: In the center of the Forever Forest awaits the Metal Box, towering high under the twin moon sky. Some call it the Protector. Others the Prison, The truth: the Box decides the fate of all mankind.

The Ravenstar

The
stranger pressed his muddy palm against Kim's bleeding ear as a sharp
whistle rattled inside his tiny head. The two were bloodied, caked in
mud and freshly split veins. Kim cringed, painfully trying to focus
on the stranger's deep voice, like a distant fire horn, calling out
to him from across the crackling evening embers.

“Quiet,”
the stranger snapped. He stared at Kim's strange clothes, a golden
cloak tangled around his oversized armor. “Mother sun must wait, to
sleep before the twins arise. And so the twins must wait And so
shall you, Woodprince.”

“You are small for a
Woodprince,” the stranger said, pointing the sky.

Kim
followed, distracted by the glistening starry night. Balls of light
danced above a green thrush, the dark thicket of elm bark surrounding
the wounded Woodprince. The world seemed so much bigger, and yet, so
much darker now.

"What
was that beastly creature?" Kim asked, his four fingered hand
pressed firmly against his gash. A shard of glass encrusted with gems
festered in the wound.

The
stranger ripped a fragment of woven cloth from his belt and wrapped
Kim's bleeding head. Long strands of white hair matted against his
battle mark.

"By
the gods, you've been blessed. She's bestowed to you the beautiful
gift of ignorance," Arunakhan said. "You truly do not know?
That was a Ravenstar."

Kim
froze. He had never met a Ravenstar before, unless you count his
nightmares. Tales long ago, just stories. Bird-like beasts with
feathers mounting their arms like armor. When the moons rose and
roasting fires blazed the sky red, their foul stories were told. The
imagined cackles, hidden amongst the forests' whispers, haunted Kim.
The Royal clan, Kim's father, mother, sisters and bothers, all
gathered by the nightly flames and sang of their horrors. They
weren't real though. Stories told to scare children into bed, to keep
them safe from the night's darkness.

“My
mother, she sang to me the Ravenstar:

'Creatures
black, cold, distraught,

Nothing
of love,

Hardened
souls, consumed,

Beware,

Noble
once, now deceive, the Ravenstar,

Do
not trust.

Their
hearts stolen.

An
empty pit.

They
cannot love.'”

“Your
people know of the Ravenstar, yet you still wander the woods at
night?” the stranger wiped his bloody palms against his silver
plated chest, staining the engravings brown.

Kim
frowned, lines creasing his low, pale brow. "The foothills grow
the Basley, my people's healing herb. It was only a short trip."

"You
risk your life over a weed? You're not so smart for a Woodprince.”

“Stop
calling me that. I'm no prince.” Kim cowered. He was so much
smaller than the stranger, three of him fitting across the stranger's
broad shoulders.

The
stranger laughed. “Your blood is too thin. Runs all over. By your
looks alone, you have the veins of a Woodprince. The entire clan
needs thickening." Arunakhan grabbed Kim's forearm and
effortlessly lifted him off the ground, swinging him over his
shoulder. Dangling, Kim studied at his blood stained armor, noticing
the distinct silhouette of a double horned rhino.

“I know you,” Kim
shouted. “I know who you are!”

“Then you best keep
quiet.” The stranger pummeled through the forest, blending into the
night's shadow, Kim's frail frame smashing against the wood.

“Where
are you taking me?” Kim whispered. The stranger was a Spartan, a
city warrior and Kim had never known a Spartan to offer hospitality
to a Woodprince before. Brash, violent, Kim best avoided their
infamous drunken clashes and less than cordial demeanor.

"You
say you know who I am,” the stranger hollered at the trees as they
bent around them. “Then you must also know of our queen, Naruta,
the true Dala, foretold by the Metal Box.”

The
stranger suddenly stopped, slamming Kim into the ground. The world
spun round him. Metal swirling in and out of focus.

“Where
are we?”

“Home.”

A
twisted heap of metal burst out the center of the Forever Woods.
Tethered by thick silver strings, the mountain roared with life,
hissing steam around its base. At its a peak sat a towering box made
of silver.

Deleted User:
I can easily identify with the characters as having gone through those terrible times myself. The writer has skillfully brought yet another side of those days to life. A good read which I recommend to everyone.

NancyRichFoster:
This second book of the Anmah Series was as awesome as the first story, I disagree with spare runner. The names were ordinary names with different spellings, which I for one loved. I am now going to read the third book in this amazingly awesome story!

Kevin Brand:
My overall rating: 4.8/5 starsLoved. Every. Second. Everytime I came back to continue reading I got this overwhelming feeling of getting hooked on the first sentence... Over and over and again!The only things that were missing for me include more descriptions on what happens when Reuben touches s...

aaron10905:
This is undoubtedly one of the best books written on here. I actually unistalled this app until someone told me about this story. I came back not expecting much, just to be drawn into the story and the characters. I would buy this book in real life, as long as another was promised shortly after.

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